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CHAS MOSTERT began by giving us a brief on his background and “bio” on his racing career to date:
Chaz Mostert (born 10 April 1992) is an Australian professional motor racing driver. He was born on April 10, 1992 to Eddie and Debra Mostert. He previously competed in Formula Ford, winning the 2010 Australian Formula Ford Championship. He is currently competing in the V8 Supercars Championship for Rod Nash Racing. He was the winner of the 2014 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.
Chas was raised in Logan, racing Go Karts since the age of seven, and now resides at Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast.
His driving history and wins includes:
|
Season
|
Series
|
Car
|
Team Name
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Races
|
Poles
|
Wins
|
Points
|
Placing
|
|
|
|
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Howard Racing
|
23
|
0
|
0
|
50
|
11th
|
|
|
|
|
Synergy Motorsport
|
19
|
1
|
1
|
225
|
4th
|
|
|
|
|
Synergy Motorsport
|
24
|
3
|
14
|
361
|
1st
|
|
|
|
|
Miles Racing
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
222
|
27th
|
|
|
|
|
|
17
|
1
|
0
|
1253
|
6th
|
|
|
|
|
Eastern Creek Karts
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
122
|
15th
|
|
2011
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iRace Touring Car Challenge
|
|
Miles Racing
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
54
|
7th
|
|
|
|
|
|
18
|
5
|
4
|
1665
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3rd
|
|
|
|
|
|
9
|
0
|
2
|
1899
|
9th
|
|
|
|
|
|
28
|
0
|
1
|
1448
|
17th
|
|
|
|
|
|
38
|
0
|
2
|
2451
|
7th
|
|
|
|
|
|
24
|
10
|
5
|
2017
|
11th
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Complete Bathurst 1000 results[ edit]
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Year
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No.
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Team
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Car
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Co-driver
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Position
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Laps
|
|
|
17
|
|
|
|
21st
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156
|
|
|
6
|
|
Ford FG Falcon
|
|
1st
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161
|
|
|
6
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Prodrive Racing Australia
|
|
|
DNQ
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0
|
|
|
55
|
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Ford FG X Falcon
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|
19th
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147
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Chas elaborated on the fact the now in the V8 Supercar series, competition is so tight, with less than seconds separating the 26 drivers, that it is 90% car setup and engineering and 10% driver skills.
Ian Mayberry, then suggested to Chas, that it would be great to open it up to the floor as many members have questions about the whole V8 Supercar series. Chas agreed and the questions came thick and fast.
Q. Paul Seymour-“What is the size of your team and crew?”
A. “6 cars running in the Workshop -running in the main series and supporting development, with approx. 60 people employed, with up to 40-45 people travelling to the various round events.”
Q. Mario Fairlie-“What sort of budget is needed to run a team?”
A. “ A v8 Supercar will need at least 2 million per vehicle, with the development cars taking slightly less, so the team budget would be approx. 10 million for the year.
Q. Jo Gorman-“What preparation is required to be successful?”
A. “As it is a unique series in the world of motorsport, limited opportunity for preparation, only allowed three testing sessions per year on a nominated home track. It basically comes back to experience in type of vehicle as well as overall racing experience. The more time in the car the better you become. As in reference to the above, there can be less than one second separating the drivers.”
Q. Lance Murray-“Following on from the previous question, do you use Simulators to practice with?”
A. “Short answer no, they are simply not up to spec for this sort of racing, the V8 car is literally driving by the “seat of pants”, getting the feel of the car. This is different to the F1 style of simulators that literally cost millions of dollars.”
Q. Barry Lea-“Why are the Kiwi drivers so successful?”
A. ”Combination of many things, including identifying young talent, in NZ you can race cars from the age of 14, where as here it is 16, although Australia is looking to come into line with NZ. They also have a good development pathway through junior series and events, which gives them great in car experience, more time behind the wheel.”
Q. Des La Rance-“In the car setup, what are “corner weights”?”
A. “Essentially a way of balancing each corner of the car, to distribute weight as evenly as possible. It is bit of combination of an art and science, and extremely difficult to get perfect.
Q. Simon Brook-“Does the configuration of the car change much from track to track and how do you manage it”
A. “Attempt to draw on past history of previous track results and or draw on similar type tracks in the series, e.g. GC600 is similar to the other street circuits such as Townsville and Adelaide. Each car has to be also set up best for each driver, as each has unique style.
Q. Barry Lea-“What is favorite or least favorite track?”
A. “All tracks are good, but favorite would be the Gold Coast”
Q. Ian Mayberry-“Can you relate your Bathurst experience?”
A. “We won in 2014, after Qualifying 14th, and starting last due to a penalty from passing whilst under red flag. Bathurst is unique as you can make position over the whole day, and co-driver Paul Morris really setup the win. 2015 was a disaster, a mistake in coming down the mountain ended up in one of biggest crashes seen on the mountain, resulting in many broken bones and two half month hospital recovery and rest of season out.”
Q. Paul Seymour-“Is there a pathway for younger drivers to get into competition?”
A. “In times gone by, it was pretty straightforward, but these days is a lot more complex, so no straightforward path.”
Q. Ian Mayberry-“Can you explain what a sponsored driver is?”
A. ”Essentially where a tanlented driver is put into a team that will accept a payment to do so, cost are around $800,000.00 and there are probably 3-4 in the current field of 26 drivers.
Q. Andy Bell-“Have you raced overseas?”
A. “No, not really interested, main focus is the opportunity to race in the V8 Supercar Series, so intent on striving to be the best in the series.”
Q. Barry Lea-“Why are European drivers not so successful in driving hear?”
A. “Europe does not have a series similar to ours, so lack of car experience.”
Q. Larry Murray-“With the closure of Ford & Holden, will it impact series?”
A. “Yes but with the phased introduction of other V8 production cars over the period of time it has hoped that the change will be positive and increase the appeal of the event, whilst keeping the core fanbase of ford vs holden.
Q. Doug Lipp-“Why go karting and not say motorbikes?”
A. “Mum said 4 wheels or no wheels, so began the go karting career at age seven and continued until 15 years of age. Still enjoy the go karting as it helps keep the skill set.”
Q. Andy Bell-“Is there any part of the circuit at Bathurst where you can relax?”
A. “A little, on both Mountain Straight and Conrod, although both have “humps” where you still need good concentration.”
Q. Ian Mayberry-“Who would be your biggest fan?”
A. “Probably Dad, has not missed a race meeting, and now actually gets paid to be there through his trucking contract with transporting the Fox Sport Studio from track to track. Other than that perhaps my sausage dogs, “Bangers & Mash”.
Ian Mayberry then thanked Chas for an entertaining session, and wished him luck in the upcoming GC 600.
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Thanks to our excellent connections (i.e.Doug Lipp) and with the Melbourne Cup only 6 days away, who better to have speak at this breakfast than the legendary Geoff Lane, a Racing Hall of Fame inductee.
